Huffman damn

Cyclists riding along the top of Huffman Dam will find a smoother ride, perhaps as early as 2018.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources announced a nearly $244,000 Clean Ohio Trails grant to the Miami Conservancy District (MCD) to build a 0.6-mile trail section on top of the dam. The trail will run along Huffman Dam from the intersection of the Mad River Bike Trail and Wright Brothers-Huffman Prairie Bikeway to Lower Valley Pike near the entrance to Huffman MetroPark.

A former roadway on top of the dam has been closed to vehicular traffic for many years.

“The roadway is bumpy and in poor condition, but people value it as a connection between the Mad River Trail and Huffman MetroPark,” says Sarah Hippensteel Hall, MCD manager for watershed partnerships. “Now we can remove the old road and build a proper bike trail that will provide a smooth ride and allow better access between the Mad River Trail and the north side of the dam near the entrance to Huffman MetroPark.”

The project cost is about $325,000. MCD will provide the $81,000 match. The project is expected to be complete in 2018.